Frontal Lobe Epilepsy (FLE)
UW Health's comprehensive epilepsy program at UW Hospital and Clinics in Madison, Wisconsin, offers state-of-the-art care for patients with epilepsy or those suspected of having seizures.
About Frontal Lobe Epilepsy
- Frontal lobe epilepsy is the second-most common type of epilepsy and may have a genetic component.
- Frontal lobe lope epilepsy frequently is marked by partial seizures, and patients often experience seizures during their sleep.
- Frontal lobe seizure characteristics can include aggressive behavior, agitation, screaming and exhibiting physical movements similar to bicycling. These seizures are usually brief.
- When awake during seizures, patients may be fully aware even as they wild movements of the arms and legs.
- Seizures may actually begin before symptoms are noticed and often spread to other areas of the brain, or to a large portion of the brain (tonic-clonic seizure).
- Some seizures affect the area of the brain that controls motor skills and result in the inability to use certain muscle groups.
Treating Frontal Lobe Epilepsy
- Frontal lobe seizures can often be treated effectively with medication.
- If medication is not effective, non-invasive evaluation tests are conducted and other courses of treatment, including surgery, vagus nerve stimulation or dietary changes, are considered.
- Treatment effectiveness can vary greatly amongst frontal lobe epilepsy patients. People with brain injuries or malformations often must take medication for the duration of their lives. People who exhibit a genetic strain of frontal lobe epilepsy may eventually see the seizures stop naturally.